roadtripreader's Reviews (357)

I would not be subjecting a planet thousands of light years away to another version of me - any aliens can thank me later. Unless of course social awkwardness is a thing in space and I won't stick out like a sore thumb? Then sure why not, sign me up for a little clone-copy-distribution.

Plot/Storyline/Themes:
I could devour this as a series. It was that good.

Character Development/Favorite Character:
Roy Court growing, evolving emotionally and changing thanks to data streams from successful unfolds across the galaxy. It's his love story in the end.

Favorite/Curious/Ludicrous/Unique Scene::
Punishing an unfold/clone for what the original or other copy on a totally different planet and time did. It's wild. It's bonkers. It's so damn unique.

“Other Gabriel may have had a problem, but I’m me Gabriel, and I shouldn’t be punished for what I haven’t done.”
“He makes a good point,” Roy said.
Elizabet turned. “You think I should open his permissions again?”
“God, no. Just he has a good point. It’s pretty weird making all our decisions with a gazillion different lives to show us what went wrong. I can see it getting a little oppressive.”
If we’re still alive in twenty years, I’ll apologize,” Elizabet said.

Favorite/Curious/Ludicrous/Unique Quotes:
🖤“some chances you take just because the possibilities are beautiful.” (Anjula on Duplication, Distribution and space)
🖤 “at some point, Jupiter blew up. I can’t explain that one, but it really fucked up the outer solar system. Left it unrecognizable.” ( Bleach Planet revelation)

Favorite/Curious/Ludicrous/Unique Concepts:
■ The Unfold aka Clone Copy
■Data Packet from Galaxies and Times away
■Bleach Planet you sneaky devil
■Sun-Home Planet and 10 Billion humans

StoryGraph Challenge: 1800 Books by 2025
Challenge Prompt: 150 Short Stories by 2025

You get a BrainPal! And You get a BrainPal! Everybody gets - no. Nope. Not true. Urrghh thats the thing with future tech - it's all hurry up and imagine this was real and then it's hurry up and wait for plausible "today" tech to merge with fantastical tech and mad scientist/inventor in order to become a reality.

But; I'm not losing hope. I shall have a BrainPal every time I open one of these short stories and then I'll graduate to Old Man's War series. BrainPals for everyone!

Plot/Storyline/Themes:
Ah yes, feels like just yesterday Wilson was dealing with "fake earthlings", the Cubs centuries drought in the World Series finally ending and just being an all round standup CDF dude - with a BrainPal in his skull. Okay okay I'll shut up about the BrainPal. NOT.

Anyway - none of that happens here. We are finally inside the Conclave. About damn time - I was getting curious about this Big Bad on the other side of the galaxy.

Character Development/Favorite Character:
Politics and Beauracracy is well, politics and beaurcracy regardless of the species behind the desk. Having just spent time unravelling a plot by Rigney and Egan in the Colonial Union - the Conclave Alien species own plots and ploys seemed so familiar I forgot they were alien until they mentioned eradicating the human race and then I was like ... well yeah we are a bit of a plague arent we? But no, no eradication just yet.

Sorvalh and Gau are the Rigney and Egan of the Conclave.

Favorite/Curious/Ludicrous/Unique Scene::
Gau and Sorvalh talk turkey.

"The real question is not whether the humans—the Colonial Union—could attack and possibly destroy the Conclave, if pressed. The real question is why they haven’t tried to do it since Roanoke.”

Favorite/Curious/Ludicrous/Unique Quotes:
🖤“ “The humans know they are in a bad position, Hafte. They are dangerous animals on the best of days. Poking at them right now is going to go poorly for everyone involved.” (Gau on Sorvalh next task)

Favorite/Curious/Ludicrous/Unique Concepts:
■ Conclave, a federation of 400 races/species
■BrainPal. Brain Pal. Brain. Pal.
■ Wildcat colonies are baaaack! This is no bueno.
■ Humans as the galaxy's main colonizing sociopath🤷🏻‍♀️
■CDF humans, Green and young all over again.

StoryGraph Challenge: 1800 Books by 2025
Challenge Prompt: 150 Short Stories by 2025

Reuniting with my favorite underdogs - it's been way to long since I hung out with the B-Team. They have been missed.

How many more missions do they have to ace before they become the A-Team? Well?

Plot/Storyline/Themes:
Hhm, fix a ship previously blown my a space missle and then sell it to a third party that doesn't trust you as far as they cannthrow you - with good reason. This was interesting. Like hearing gossip about drama that happened at another division in the office. What?! Noooo tell me everything.

Character Development/Favorite Character:
Captain Coloma is front and center in this installment which is refreshing. It's all about The Clarke and The Clarke was her baby basically.

Wilson stays being a favorite.

Favorite/Curious/Ludicrous/Unique Scene::
Scalzi is one of the best at dialogue:
“I understand you’ve just returned from being a hostage,” Coloma said.
“Yes, ma’am,” Wilson said. “An unfortunate incident with the Bula. We ended up with six of their ships planning to blow us out of the sky.

Favorite/Curious/Ludicrous/Unique Quotes:
🖤"she was now a captain without a ship, which meant in a very real sense she was no longer a captain at all.” (Captain Coloma)

Favorite/Curious/Ludicrous/Unique Concepts:
■ Skip Drive
■ Earth as a super soldier farm
■Colonial Union vs Conclave

StoryGraph Challenge: 1800 Books by 2025
Challenge Prompt: 150 Short Stories by 2025 

Took a shot and didn't read the blurb I play it fast and lose with authors I like and that's my toxic trait. I trust whatever they put out will entertain. Benjanun is in good company. Last book I read without a glimpse at the blurb was Rogue Protocol - Martha Wells. And just like then, I was not disappointed.

Let's talk about how creative these titles are! Not Alphabet titles A court of this or a spaceship of that. No, its midway phrases that may or may not ve in the book. And it seems to fit the story like a glove.

Plot/Storyline/Themes:
I mean come on What an opening!
"Morning begins in apocalypse: [... ...] The Church, the fall, the final armageddon that awaits them all".

Character Development/Favorite Character:
Vivid imagery from a couple of sentences had me feeling pity for Panthida/Sister Josephine, hating the Abbey, completely enamored by the Eshim Anoushka and the nun, Numadesi.

"Red stole trimmed in alabaster"

Favorite/Curious/Ludicrous/Unique Scene::
It's not a simple act. It means something. The moment Panthida claims herself and disavows Josephine.
"My name isn’tJosephine. It’s Panthida.”
“Panthida,” the Eshim repeats. “How iridescent. It fits you much better than Josephine.”

Favorite/Curious/Ludicrous/Unique Quotes:
🖤"The Bible is teeth and each time she touches it, it is as though she’s handling bare razors.” (On the danger of rabid religion)
🖤"The blades of archangels. The Eshim are not to be crossed in any way, so they say.” (The Eshim)
🖤"All things are sins, save what is done by those with power.” (Truer words have never been spoken)

Favorite/Curious/Ludicrous/Unique Concepts:
■ The rise of religious zealotry into absolute power feels horrifyingly plausible if not probable.
■ Eshim - Literal Warrior Nuns
■Survival Arithmetic

StoryGraph Challenge: 1800 Books by 2025
Challenge Prompt: 150 Short Stories Books by 2025

Take Murderbot, The Human Division, The Creator, Extinction, Ex Machina, and maybe, weirdly, Hand Maiden's Tale put it in a blender, add today's conspiratorial fear of AI, put in future-tech concepts, sprinkle fantasy, blend and then take the contents, splash it on canvas then set the canvas on fire, take the ashes put them in one of those LED astronomy globe desklights and turn it on. That's this book and in the end,I quite like it. It shines in weird ways.

Plot/Storyline/Themes:
Two ex Armada agents(Dr Leung is so cagey about her past even in her inner monologue) have to figure out why AI-Human hybrids (who have godlike status in this universe) are comitting suicide in the most public, violent and synced ways.
Could you stick the hook in any deeper and reel me in? Nope, that's some good bait and it got me to read in one sitting.

Character Development/Favorite Character: -1.5
The characters feel like they land for a minute and then take off before you can really peel back the layers and poke around in them. The result is a feeling of unrealness which might be what the citizens of this world feel. Like should I give a damn about that character?

I did however take an instant disliking to Krissana Khongtip. Still do.

Favorite/Curious/Ludicrous/Unique Scene::
Orfea and Krissana analyzing the data dump by Mina. The nerd in me love probability analysis and doing the critical thinking to get to that "nooo way whhhat" moment.

After that it's just all shooting, punching etc etc and 3rd act. But before that - data data and more data.

Favorite/Curious/Ludicrous/Unique Quotes:
🖤“Utopia isn’t about tastes. It is about the common good, the greatest comfort for the greatest number—that is what Shenzhen is.” (Orfea on the great Dyson Sphere)
🖤"We’re both veterans at atrocities, Doctor, and I used to adore your hardness.” (Krissana on Orfea)

Favorite/Curious/Ludicrous/Unique Concepts:
■ Mandate AI
■Benzaiten in Autumn
■Haruspex
■Pax Americana sounding like a bible-thumping red state.

StoryGraph Challenge: 1800 Books by 2025
Challenge Prompt: 150 Science Fiction Books by 2025

Found a book I like from Tierra Cox! 3.5 rounded up up up So glad I'm still at the stage in my readerhood/readership/reader-lifespan (you get it) where I don't DNF authors after one or two books that don't agree with me at the time. Look at this gem I fell into!

Plot/Storyline/Themes:

Listen, way to hook a person - hurl a meteor at a lone woman in a podship all alone in space and make her scramble to survive. That was exhilirating.

A WOC astronaut in Russia already grabbed me by the mind and yanked - I was excited having lived in Vladivostok pre-pandemic and war. Plus, a little scurrying for survival in hostile territory makes for a great scifi-romp.

Character Development/Favorite Character: 1.5

🖤Vova/Vladimir (Ivan Bunin) needs his OWN book. I love him.

🖤Polar/Maksim is a MFing genius! and he is unique, an interesting augmented specimen and I love a unique 6.5 giant - who doesn't? I also like that he is primal "filthy", makes his striking good looks easy to process.

🖤Rome is an intelligent smartass and that won her a ton of points. Sometimes her POV and Makims POV sounded unnervingly similar - as in 1st person narrative problems with differenting the "sound" of each character- the similarities were obvious but after a few chapters I got over it.

What I didn't get over was Rome's ability to veer into eye-roll annoying territory sometimes. She comes across as self-centered in those moments. But when I look at the characters at the end of it all , I did like them more than they annoyed me.

Favorite/Curious/Ludicrous/Unique Scene::
Three of many scenes:

🖤An epic crashlanding into Russia and Maksim's rescue-retrieval.
🖤 "I should be more concerned about the fact that he freaking lifted a mine elevator with my ass in it like he was hauling wood, but no! I am 95% sure the pressing concern is the fact that this man glows!".
🖤 Two hot nerds inspecting a bat.

Favorite/Curious/Ludicrous/Unique Quotes:
🖤“they can say landing as much as they want. I will be crashing, in style, but still crashing.A controlled crash, whatever.,” (Rome before that epic crash)
🖤“"You'll be following me around for the next four months, like a duckling. So you are duckling,” (You know, I like Maksim, the hot giant grump)
🖤“You plague my thoughts and I want to do nothing more than to crawl into your skin and live there. I don't deserve your kindness, and I don't deserve you,” (Awwww! Sweet Maksim)

Favorite/Curious/Ludicrous/Unique Concepts:
A toss up between "Ice Puppies" from one of Saturn's moons VS Polar's glow-in-the-dark cave mycelium.

StoryGraph Challenge: 1800 Books by 2025
Challenge Prompt: 150 Romance Books by 2025

Yeah was this a psychological experiment on the reader? Sure feels like it. - I just realized I never wanted to be an astronaut as a kid. I wanted to be one of the techies in the room, the girl in the chair plotting trajectories and making the big rocket zoom through the atmosphere. Or the girl in the chair in a massive floating non-claustrophobic space station with ample space to walk around. And then I turned 10 and my interest veered again. Point being, this book confirms my 8 year old self was right - I'd never have made it as a floating spaceman in a cooped up cabin. More power to those who can.

Plot/Storyline/Themes:
You'd be mistaken for thinking it boring - it perfectly captures the imagined boredom and redundancy astronauts face while in orbit. Day-Night-Day-Night, weird porridge, working out mid float, watch the blue-green planet, Day-Night-Day-Night , maybe communicate with base station on the ground, hear good news, hear bad news, hear news of your inevitable obsoleteness. >Day-Night-Day-Night orbit again and again.

How very cyclical, habitual, bang your head across the wall if you could just stop floating kind of experience.

Character Development/Favorite Character:
The slow descent to whatever version of "wits end" for each character was magnificent.

Favorite/Curious/Ludicrous/Unique Scene::
The first peak at a day in the life of the crew.
"They will: change the smoke detectors, change out the Water Resupply Tank in slot 2 and install a new tank in slot 3 of the Water Storage System, clean the bathroom and kitchen, fix the toilet-that-always-breaks. Their day is mapped by acronyms, MOP, MPC, PGP, RR, MRI, CEO, OESI, WRT for WSS, T-T-A-B."

Favorite/Curious/Ludicrous/Unique Quotes:
🖤“Up here, nice feels such an alien word. It’s brutal, inhuman, overwhelming, lonely, extraordinary and magnificent. There isn’t one single thing that is nice.,” (Nell on space)
🖤“Don’t encroach, is their unspoken rule. [...] Don’t cross the rubicon into one another’s internal lives.,” (Tips and "Tricks" to a pleasant space-stay)
🖤“They have talked before about a feeling they often have, a feeling of merging. [...] Whatever they were before they came here, [...] they are equalised here by the delicate might of their spaceship.” (The floating family)

Favorite/Curious/Ludicrous/Unique Concepts:
Watching weather patterns from high up in space sounds like a real treat. A typhoon probably looks like dark cotton candy twirling in a force of unruly energy.

StoryGraph Challenge: 1800 Books by 2025
Challenge Prompt: 150 Science Fiction Books by 2025

Feels like it should be controversial? A president with no brain - what it is, is hilarious. Everyone swears up and down their president is brainless, no one ever thinks it'll ever actually take on the characteristics of a fact and no longer be a joke.
Plot/Storyline/Themes: Secret facilities, that place called Area 51, experiments gone awry and diplomacy somehow land in this novelette.
Character Development/Favorite Character:
The characters I've been getting to know in The Human Division series have cameos here. Scalzi does dialogue really well. Also, made me want to order Five Guys fries which is the best of post reading effects ever.

Favorite/Curious/Ludicrous/Unique Scene:: Casual Espionage and skulduggery
You have got to be kidding me,” Alex said, as the white panel van rolled up and Jefferson opened the sliding door, two armed Airmen beside him.
“Get in, Alex,” Jefferson said.
“I thought abductions in white panel vans only happened in movies,” Alex said.
“No, the North Koreans use them too,” Jefferson said. “And it’s not an abduction, yet. But if you don’t shut up and get in the van, it might be.”
Alex got into the van.

Favorite/Curious/Ludicrous/Unique Quotes:
🖤“Shit, Mr. Lipsyte, I’m surprised the man can hold a pen at all,” General White said. “I’ve known lower primates with higher cognitive functions than your guy. Y,” (okay so the President is a dumb dumb?)
🖤“Alex, this is one case where the most ridiculous explanation you could come up with for how this is happening probably isn’t going to be ridiculous enough.” (Stein to Alex)

Favorite/Curious/Ludicrous/Unique Concepts:
That empty vessels do make the most noise. They also don't sink. The president trying to sink beneath the water but failing as a sign for "missing brain syndrome"

StoryGraph Challenge: 1800 Books by 2025
Challenge Prompt: 150 Speculative Fictional books by 2025

 If this was the answer to the "Are we alone out here in this vast galaxy?" I'd be content (except for the galactic war) I wouldn't mind living in a world where Earth is a safe haven for Aliens fleeing extermination.  This gives me such John Scalzi Old Man's War/Human Division vibes but set in romance- it's the layering of intricate details that gets me the most - besides the Alien physiology. I found myself able to see this version of earth vividly.  Loved it.

Romance Plot/Storyline/Themes: The complications of inter-species courting done with finesse.  I would have missed all the signs Lois so don't worry - you're not a nasty cow.  It was all very frustrating when Lois was frustrated and it was all gushy and mushy when the layers were peeled back.  Such sweetness.

Character Development/Favorite Character:
What a unique work environment, you'd be forgiven for forgetting it was a government facility housing a government division and full of government employees.  And that's a good thing - any one studying International Relations might want to add Intergalactic Relations and get an internship at DETI.
Zir's workplace ecosystem, the IT department has sweet geeks and nerds who only want the best for the big guy.
Lois' workplace ecosystem , is more outward facing -riveting, exciting, on the forefront of interacting with aliens and at the end of the day, a close knit family. I found myself attached to all the characters.  I wonder if they're hiring.

Favorite/Curious//Ludicrous/Unique Scene:: Zir helping Lois find Taz - the entire sequence, such a sweet tender chapter.

Favorite/Curious/Ludicrous/Unique Quotes:
The Volin have interesting idioms.

1. When you want the tree, do not sit on the branch. Zir is a branch-sitter" (Tol to Lois )

2. "you are chasing the ground" (Tol to Zir)

3. Protecting her is more important to them than seeing her clearly (Ban on Volin Males and their curious eye-contact behavior )

Favorite/Curious/Ludicrous/Unique Concepts: Too many things.  I'll list a few:

A) The Volin Crest - no wait - all things Volin
B) The Tessian-Rhachak-Ypek Conflict
C) Volin NamesDETI

StoryGraph Challenge: 1800 Books by 2025
Challenge Prompt: 150 Romance books by 2025 

 "You poor alien plebeian.” - not famous last words, but very Simmi-esque

Simmi! Simmizer, Simmister ole buddy ole pal you did a whole lot of brave stuff right out of your comfort zone. Neary a lab coat in sight. Pat on the back to you good sir - hands sanitized to within an inch of rawness, naturally. Also, if I'd landed in a jungle filled with mosquitos trying to chomp away at me I'd have a panic attack or two - wait a minute ... Well that's already happened. You're in good company Sihmee.  

Romance Plot/Storyline/Themes: I did expect Simmi to be paired up with his antithesis, but I did not expect Aurora or a kidnapping and you know what, 2024 is the year of pleasant unexpected things I guess.  I loved the kindness shown to Simmi and him going against his OCD or better nature to connect with Aurora.

Character Development/Favorite Character:
Was Aurora a criminal or fugitive before capture? Some of her behavioral traits really had me going in the first few chapters.  I love how full and complete both Simmi and Aurora are before they meet but much better together.

Favorite/Curious/Ludicrous/Unique Scene:: Listen, I love the tropics but I'm in agreement with old Simster - Mosquitos can get fvkd.

Favorite/Curious/Ludicrous/Unique Quotes: 
●"Fool, you tried to slap me on my nose. You're a creature with soft outer flesh. What did you expect to happen?" (Simmi on breaking a hand inadvertently )
●"What I wouldn't give right now for disinfectant" (Simmi reading my mind)
●"I've never been so female-handled in my life" (Simmi sums up Aurora nicely )

Favorite/Curious/Ludicrous/Unique Concepts:  Being considered alien is relative in the grand scheme of things. Simmi can't believe they would deign to call him alien.

StoryGraph Challenge: 1800 Books by 2025
Challenge Prompt: 150 Romance books by 2025